Ernest Lieb

Ernest H. Lieb (born April 14, 1940 in Berlin ; † September 22, 2006 with Lathen ) was the founder of the American Karate System .

In 1952, Lieb emigrated with his family to the United States , where he received US citizenship in 1959 .

In 1955 he began training in judo and karate . In 1958 he graduated with the 1st dan karate. In 1961 he joined the US Air Force . In 1964 he passed his Dan exams in Judo and Aikido in South Korea . He was also the first American to win the Korean Tae Soo Do Championships that year . During his further military career , he worked primarily as a sniper and hand-to-hand combat instructor for the Navy Seals , Rangers and counter-terrorism units. Lieb learned from both Korean and Japanese , Okinawan and Chinese masters, whose techniques he later integrated into the American karate system. In 1965, when he was then 5th Dan, he founded his own fighting system, the American Karate System, AKS for short. In June 2005 he was honored with the 10th Dan for his services. Furthermore, Lieb is also the founder of the American Karate Association (AKA).

Lieb lived in Muskegon , Michigan . He felt particularly attached to this city, which is why the traditional summer camp of the American Karate System always took place there.

Ernest Lieb died during a test run of the Transrapid on the Transrapid test facility in Emsland on September 22, 2006 when it hit a workshop vehicle at a speed of around 170 km / h. With Ernest H. Lieb, 22 other people died, including another American and three German karateka. 10 people were injured.

In Germany, the American Karate System (AKS-Germany) founded by Lieb has been represented in the DKV (German Karate Association) since 1997. Ernest Lieb held regular courses in Germany. Friendly relationships continue to exist on both sides of the Atlantic.

Web links

• Ernest Lieb Biography
• AKS on the DKV site